Time

Can you taste it? With every autumn in South Bend comes a bottle of fruitless optimism (only 50 calories!), leaving a bitter and foul winter aftertaste. Will this year be any different? USC has beaten Notre Dame seven straight years by an average of 27 points. Why are we to think this year is any different? Are we making too much of this game? Time. That’s the answer. Only He will tell.

Listen to the experts, everyone’s talking about the Irish offense versus the Trojans defense, which are both top-10 units. All I hear is how Notre Dame hasn’t faced a defense as tough as USC’s yet this year, and if we struggle against teams that bad defensively, how can we possibly move the rock against Carroll Almighty. What no one mentions is the “caliber” of offenses USC has faced this season. Take a bite out of this nifty chart. I made it myself. USC’s opponents thus far:

Rank (offense)
San Jose State - 117
Ohio St - 85
Washington - 74
Washington State - 119
California - 49

On average, USC has been facing the 89th ranked offense in college football. You don’t think SC has some inflated numbers this year? No doubt, this defense is phenomenal, but they have not faced the likes of our very own Weisian juggernaut that is Jimmy & Co. Whoever came up with the term Weisian needs to tarred and feathered. I have trouble staying away from it though; it makes him sound like he has accomplished something great. Like invent the crossing route or something.

The key to the game I believe is the running game. We need to have just one speckle of a running game to keep USC honest or else Jimmy is going to be eating the high weeds of Notre Dame Stadium all afternoon. They will simply drop 7 back in coverage, keep the safeties deep, and just wait for the Front 4 to get to Clausen. We must have the ability to run the rock – that’s on you O-Line.

On the other side of the ball, we must be able to moderately contain their rushing attack, forcing the true freshman Matt Barkley to win the game with his high school arm and teenage brain. This is something we failed to do against Michigan (the reason for that awkward 1 behind the 4). Right now, our defense is not good. To say they are underachieving is to say that Keanu Reeves is an actor “with range.” They are below underachieving. We are currently nuzzled in quite cozy at the 100th spot in total defense in between Hawaii and Ball State. Let that sink in.

Meanwhile, the top 3 teams in the polls (granted, they are Best of the Best) are ranked #1, 2, and 4 defensively. Not one of the top-5 teams in the nation gave up more than 14 points this past Saturday, and they were facing the likes of Florida, LSU, and Ole Miss. But, in the words of Stephen A.: “HOWEVAAHH” (however)!!!! There is hope. Currently we are a modest 49th against the run, well above the likes of Va Tech (62), Miami (66), and LSU (70). Will this be enough to slow SC down? Will we be able to consistently move the ball against the Trojans? Step up, baby!

Irish win. It’s about time.

So, let’s hear what you got. This blog has less traffic than Middletown at 2 in the afternoon.

rabes